The Grimsby area has been named among the very best places in the entire country for broadband.

According to research carried out by consumer watchdog Which?, North East Lincolnshire has the seventh fastest average connection speeds in the UK, beating off those anywhere in Yorkshire, most big cities including Manchester, Newcastle, Birmingham and Liverpool, and even every part of London except Enfield.

The data, from Speed Checker Ltd, shows that internet users in the Grimsby area enjoy average speeds of 27.4Mbps, way above the national average of 17Mbps.

It also found 11 areas fall short of the government’s minimum recommended speed of 10Mbps under its Universal Service Obligation.

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Somewhat unsurprisingly, the remote Orkneys registered the slowest connections in the country, standing at just 6.3Mbps, but even heavily urbanised regions such as South London were found lacking.

Nearby Kingston-Upon-Hull - where consumers are unable to access services from the likes of Sky, Virgin and BT - was among the worst offenders with speeds averaging at 10.9Mbps and even the heart of the capital, Westminster, was found lacking with connections of 12.9Mbps.

At the other end of the scale, it was Tamworth, in Staffordshire, which can now boast having the nation’s best broadband with superfast average speeds of 30.4Mbps.

Reading came second with 30Mbps and Adur, West Sussex, was third with 29.2Mbps.

Looking at the results, Which? managing director of home services Alex Neill said: “Far too many households across the UK are suffering from slow broadband speeds, which can stop you being able to carry out essential daily tasks.”

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The watchdog has launched a Fix Bad Broadband campaign urging households to use its free speed checker to make sure their service is up to the speed promised and complain if it is not.

Which? will be using data from its own speed checker to lobby the Government, regulators and broadband companies to improve broadband services across the UK.

Ms Neill added: “This will also help to further highlight where problem areas are across the UK, putting pressure on Government and providers to help everyone get a good broadband connection.”

The findings were met with delight by North East Lincolnshire Council. Councillor Peter Wheatley, portfolio holder for regeneration, assets, skills and housing, said: "Super-fast fibre broadband is vital to our economy – it boosts business and has many benefits for local people.

"Fast communications help businesses by giving them the tools to grow and ultimately create jobs.

"It also improves the lives of local people who can enjoy faster browsing and downloading speeds, whether it’s at home, school or college."